University of Hull students have had the option for students to stay in the newly built Westfield Court for the past 3 academic years. Students pay between £140 and £225.05 per week to live in this accomodation, with the university website promising things and doing things that are not right. Here are the issues that students have raised (there are however a lot more than listed here):

No hot water or heating, and certainly no heating that is controllable by occupants. Westfield court have made facilities available such as the Allam Sports centre. However, this is the complete other side of campus and does not suit those who might wear a headscarf or any other religious head garment, such as a hijab or niqab. Not to mention the fact that is is cold outside, and the sports centre is so far for students to commute to for a shower. This has been an ongoing issue this entire academic year and the last academic year. Westfield court have provided "backup" heating options, such as temporary boilers however they are not up to standard for the residents paying extortionate amounts to live there. An issue regarding the heating has also been raised in the way that students have 0 control of the temperature inside of their flats and bedrooms. As you go up the floors (some blocks are 8 floors tall) it gets hotter and hotter, and it is almost unliveable it is that hot in the rooms. The windows only open slightly and have grids on the outside, meaning that you can't even open a window to cool your bedroom off.

UPP are the security team that operate around Westfield. There have been many of issues about them, ever since Westfield court first opened its doors for university of hull residents. UPP security coming into flats and students bedrooms with no notice. I know of students that wear hijabs and have been walked in on whilst they are not wearing theirs by male UPP staff, or staff hired by the University of Hull. Under the housing act of 1998 landlords must give 24 hours notice before entering a property occupied by a tenant. This is also in the student's contracts when they sign for westfield court student accomodation. This means that 90% of the visits that UPP or the University have had to students have been illegal and not under the contract that the students signed for before moving into their accomodation.

Students have felt as if the University of Hull have lied to them, with great reason to believe so too. Students are unhappy about the quality of life in Westfield. No hot water, meaning students are having to go without basic necessities such as showers, washing their hands with warm water which due to Covid-19 is actually very unsafe. Not to mention students washing chopping boards and plates etc that have had raw meat used on them. This can make someone very sick very easily without warm or hot water available to them

Students have also complained about storage space in their flat. 2 fridges between 8 people is unmanageable for some students, especially those that have specific dietary requirements and require a whole shelf in the fridge for their food (for example a Vegan might not want their stuff on the same shelf as a pack of bacon).

UPP have broken the law numerous times and decieved students by entering flats whilst no one is home, and without any written notice, or any notice in general. This is breaking the law as a landlord must give 24h notice and tenants by law are entitled to not have people harassing them. They are loud and have been known to wake students up. Some UPP security have went into peoples bedrooms whilst they have been sleeping, also with no notice.

There was a petition made last year entitled "protect students rights at and on campus accommodation - university of hull". The university did not even acknowledge this petition that had 325 signatures.

This petition is here so students can sign and hopefully the university can see how much students are unhappy. The only thing the university has done is given students a £100 food voucher which can only be used at food places in the university. Students want a rent reduction. And we want one now.